Page 19 of Reformed Wolf

If I even walk out of here alive, that is… And that was starting to feel like a pretty big if. I missed my old cocky, overconfident self. Being vulnerable and alone sucked ass.

“You have a good night.” I could see the curiosity in the driver’s eyes as he looked me over in the rearview mirror. My shirt was wrinkled, and there might’ve been a smear of blood too; I hadn’t taken a good look at my t-shirt from last night before pulling it on. The driver probably thought I was here to rob the place. In truth, all I had in mind to steal was my omega before heading for the hills.

We don’t run, my wolf chided.

I sighed and got out of the cab. There was no point in arguing with my wolf. We didn’t often see eye to eye on matters of morals and pride.

The driver sat in the car with the engine idling, probably waiting to see if I would have to climb the fence. Imagine his surprise when the gate opened on its own before I even had a chance to push the intercom button. I waved my fingers at the security camera on the way by, grinning a wide, cocky grin. I swaggered across the property, even as I heard the cab finally pull away, taking my final lifeline with it. “Evening, boys,” I said to the guards standing on either side of the stairs at the back of the house.

“I heard it was quite the fight last night?” the eagle shifter said, and he somehow made it sound like a question.

I smiled tightly. “I wouldn’t know. I couldn’t watch, kept my eyes closed the whole time.”

He laughed, a wheezing kind of chuckle. “Good luck tonight.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” I had a feeling I was going to need it.

Then, as I descended the stairs into the earth and the cold and the damp began to seep into the barrier I’d erected around my heart, that was when I felt myself falter. I paused at the bottom of the stairs with my hand on the door handle. My attitude would have to be my armor tonight. I couldn’t let them smell my fear.

Pushing open the door, I found myself entering a very different space than last night. There was no music this time, no oppressive wave of heat and smells. This was no longer a party. Half the competitors had been eliminated, and with them, their families.

The chatter died down for a moment as I walked down, heads swiveling to take me in, beastly eyes shining in the half-dark. Their gazes were assessing, gauging what they now knew of my skills, wondering what else I had up my sleeve. I heard the distinctive sound of sniffing and inhaling; they’d no doubt noticed I was alone and were wondering what that meant.

Easy prey was what it meant. Separate a target from its herd and take it down…

The sound of a door opening signaled a change in the room, excitement and anticipation rippling through the crowd. Mr. Caruso emerged from the door that no doubt led to the house upstairs. My mate’s scent reached me before I caught sight of him, and my wolf sat up and took notice. Dylan followed directly behind his father, already searching the room for me. As soon as our eyes locked, his whole body eased, shoulders sagging and his face softening as the tension that had him in its grasp released its hold. I had no doubt others in the room would notice too if they had two brain cells to rub together. It was impossible not to see the connection we had, to feel it in the air between us. It would no doubt make me a bigger target than I already was, but I couldn’t force myself to look away.

Finally, Mr. Caruso stepped between us, glaring at me. I raised an eyebrow and shrugged, smirking, without apology. Dylan was mine, no matter what his father said.

He cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “Congratulations on making it to round two. You have all made quite an impression on me that I won’t soon forget. Win or lose today, I will have a place for you within my empire—unless you die, of course. Then the best job will go to whoever killed you.” He laughed loudly, and most others joined in, but I could see the nervous glances between the families.

Is it just me, or did he just throw down a challenge to kill the competition? I asked my wolf.

My beast was wary, viewing the room through my eyes. Or to kill you, he finally answered, and I let that observation sink in.

Could the man really despise me so much? He didn’t even know me. Well, I would just have to make it my mission to prove to him what a fucking delight I was!

“The first match tonight goes to Andreas… and Tristan.” Mr. Caruso’s gaze fell on me like a loaded gun.

I grinned, letting his malice wash right over me, like water off a duck’s back, leaving me untouched. I stripped off my clothes, offering a wink to Dylan as his cheeks warmed with a hungry blush, and his father’s scowl deepened as he gritted his teeth. Folding my clothes, I left them in a pile outside the gate. “Hey, watch these for me, would you?” I sassed to the guard standing there. With the money these people held, I highly doubted they would be stealing my ripped jeans and ratty t-shirt anytime soon.

Stepping into the cage, I buried the frisson of fear I felt. The mat was firm beneath my feet, still stained with blood from yesterday. The door latched behind me, and a second click followed as the guard attached a padlock. Well, that’s new. My wolf didn’t like that one bit, and neither did I. Was it to cut out the potential of outside interference or to prevent escape?

Across from me stood the largest man I’d ever seen. Seeing him from a distance yesterday hadn’t done him justice, and he only seemed to get larger the closer I got. I wasn’t a short man by any means, but he stood a full head taller than me, even with his head shaved down to the scalp. He would’ve made even Jude look like a child’s plastic action figure in comparison. He had muscles on top of muscles, to the point I wasn’t sure he’d even be able to pull up his own pants. And while the dark skin of his chest was decorated with an entrancing pattern of intentional scarring, likely meant to intimidate, I found his eyes were soft, kind. Apologetic.

Andreas approached me and held his hand out to shake. “You fought well yesterday. To be outnumbered by such strong competitors, it was impressive to watch. I’m honored to compete against you.” His voice was a deep baritone that seemed to vibrate through me.

“Yeah, same to you.” My hand was swallowed up inside his as we shook. His palms were calloused and rough. He was a hard worker. I didn’t know what it was about him that reminded me of home, since his beast was clearly more comfortable in the jungle than the forest, but I was suddenly homesick. I missed clean air, the woods, and my family.

“I won’t go easy on you, but I’ll try not to break anything important,” Andreas said with a wide grin, flashing straight white teeth.

I laughed. “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

The match started much like yesterday’s, the two of us as men circling each other warily, waiting for an opening. This time, I had the advantage of having seen his fighting style yesterday. He was a total powerhouse of lethal force. I had to be careful not to get too close or he would easily crush me.

We paced the ring for so long that the crowd started to get restless, shouting encouragement and curses, goading us into action. Andreas and I shared a look, and the big man heaved a shrug, as if to say, “Well, we’d best get on with it.”

He lumbered toward me, the mat vibrating with each step. I let him get close enough to take a swing, dodging away before he could make contact. He was easy enough to evade with a few quick steps. I supposed I could tire him out for a bit, but I wasn’t sure what kind of endurance he had. For all I knew, we could be at this all night. I needed to force a play.

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